Brazo de Mercedes

Have I told you before I am not much of a baker? With my propensity to repeat myself, I probably already did. As I’ve said many times, give me a carcass of pig, bovine or fowl and I’ll find many delicious ways to enjoy it from nose to tail. But flour, baking powder or yeast? I’ll stare at you blankly, dazed and confused. Sure, the cheese cupcakes and macaroons on the site regularly receive rave reviews but they are really more from my luck in finding the right recipe through diligent research than my skill with baking pans. G disagrees with how I like to admit to my baking inadequacies online. He thinks by undermining my skills, I risk losing your confidence. How can you teach what you don’t know, right? I, on the other hand, believe it is a strength to realize one’s own weaknesses. By acknowledging what I don’t know, I am able to learn. Like how to make brazo de mercedes.

Brazo de mercedes is a type of jelly roll dessert made with a pillowy meringue rolled around a rich custard filling. Although initially I was intimidated by what I thought to be a very complicated process, it turned out to be a pretty simple cake to make. I breezed through the custard center easily enough but the meringue outer layer did prove a little tricky. My egg whites fell flat on my first try and I had to read up on how to whip whites properly before my next go. Hep, hep, hooray! After googling tips and tricks, my beaten egg whites stood proud and stiff. Here are a a few guidelines to remember.

Use fresh eggs as they whip better. Let egg whites stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beating.

Use a copper, stainless or glass bowl. Avoid aluminum bowls as they can turn egg whites to gray.

Use very clean and dry bowls and beaters. Fats or any residue can affect the eggs’ volume. Make sure no traces of yolk get into the whites as they will not expand properly.

Add sugar slowly to the egg whites so they don’t lose volume.

Do not overbeat! You know they have reached stiff peaks when the whipped whites no longer slide around when the bowl is tilted.

To prevent the egg yolks from curdling, make sure to cook the custard over low heat.

In a double broiler over low heat, combine egg yolks, milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 30 to 40 minutes or until mixture thickens into a spreadable paste. Transfer custard into a bowl and cover with wax paper until ready to use.

In a bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Using an electric mixer, beat at low speed. As the egg whites start to turn opaque and begin to fluff into a thick foam, gradually add the sugar in small amounts and continue to beat while gradually increasing speed of mixer until stiff peaks form. The whipped whites will be smooth and glossy, with no sugar grains.

Line a 14 x 16 baking sheet with wax paper and lightly grease surface of paper. Transfer meringue onto prepared baking sheet and using a spatula, spread evenly across into about ¼-inch thick. Bake in a 350 F oven for about 20 minutes or until meringue is set and top has turned to light brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Using a fine mesh sieve, light dust top with powdered sugar. Place another layer of greased wax paper and another baking sheet over meringue. Gently invert meringue onto the new baking sheet and peel the wax paper on top.

Spoon custard on top and spread evenly on cooked meringue, leaving about ¼ without filling. Starting on the filled side, carefully roll meringue into a log. Cover both ends of the brazo de mercedes with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. To serve, cut into desired thickness.

If they don’t want the taste of the eggs in the custard you can add a few drops of lemon or vanilla flavoring to it which would probably taste good but ad for the meringue I don’t know because it might affect it becoming stiff enough.love your blog Mrs.Lalaine and all the wonderful recipes you share.Thank you so much.Salamut!!

I made it today and everything was ok except when making the custard maybe the given time was too long..i did mine for 20mins and when it cooled i cant spread it..it was very stiff..i had to reheat it in the microwave..it will be judge later😄 thank you for this!

I am sorry you had a bit of trouble with the custard/yema part of the recipe. It usually takes mine 30 to 40 minutes as I cook the mixture over low heat. The cook time I provide are close approximates and may vary depending on many factors such as the temp you use or even the ambient temperatures in the kitchen. As the recipe states, cook until mixture thickens into a spreadable paste.

Hello, thank you for adding me to this link. I love Filipino desserts& since I live in Kansas now there are no Filipino bakeries here. So when I visit my family in San Diego I stock up on desserts from Red Ribbon or Goldilocks. I want to learn how to make filipino desserts, especially leche flan, that is my husband’s favorite & fruit salad which I learned how to make from my Mom. I may email you to let you know how my experience is. Thanks again!

It has something to do with the egg. The freseher the egg, the better. Dont use eggs that has been in.the fridge for a long time. Once you separated the yolk and the white, dont let the white stand too long.

Hi po my question is like of mitz ask..nag crack kc yong meringue when it is rolled..bakit po kaya? And pano ko gagawin na mas fuller ung meringue is it about the size of the pan? Or how many egg white im using..i’m just amaze sa size sa “goldilucks”. I’ve already bake BDM twice ad it looks small for me…tnx much!

I am so sorry to hear about your experience with making brazo de mercedes. Was the meringue cool enough when you started rolling? There are so many factors that might have compromised the stability of the meringue. How fresh the eggs are, how fast the whites were beaten. The best way to keep the meringue from cracking is to allow it to cool down slowly. After it cooks, turn the oven off and keep it there until the oven is cool to allow the meringue to cool slowly.

I have never made “Brazo De Mercedes” but plan to make to take on a road trip as a gift. The trip will take about 8 hours in the car. I was wondering if you know how it would hold up if I make and freeze it and put in an ice chest for the trip. Or do you have a suggestion. Thank you.

I try it, the custard is well done & I think the meringue is still not fully done, & I did another one & I think it’s perfectly done ,my husband like it so much but he wants not to taste the egg in the meringue..any suggestion to take out the taste of the egg whites? Looking forward coz I really like it easy & it doesn’t take much time..

I am glad your husband liked the brazo de mercedes. Regarding the taste of egg in the meringue, maybe cooking it longer might work. Just until it pulls a bit from the sides of the pan. Hope this works 🙂

Hi Lalaine,
Thank you fro sharing this recipe. I made this, but nag ooze out ung custard. Did i cook it long enough? I waited for the merengue to cool down, but still it oozed out. Ganun ba talaga runny ung custard? Or should i cook it longer?